Bound
by QTR
Summary: One night, one horrific ordeal...and one decision: she wanted to be numb. WS. Rating changed for content. Now completed.
1. Prologue

**Title: Bound**

**Rating: T**

**Summary: One night, one horrific ordeal...and one decision: she wanted to be numb. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters.**

**Author's Notes: This is my first attempt at a new ship. I adore the ship, so I wanted to give it a try! Also, I know this idea has been done many times before, but I wanted to give it a shot and see where I could go with it. I really like writing angst and drama! ;) Hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Prologue**

_Shit, how did I end up here?_ she thought to herself.She remembered something...a bus. That's right. She got out of the bar after a few drinks and got on the bus to go home. She must've gotten off on the wrong stop, she wondered.

What was she going to do? God-only-knew how long until the next bus arrived, and needed to get home. It was late, and she had heard more than enough stories to be paranoid about what went on at night. And she was alone, so that only made her feel even more edgy and frightened.

She couldn't just call one of her coworkers, what was she going to say? This was her week off, and she was going to call them and ask for a ride to her apartment because she had 'a little too much to drink'? No. They couldn't know she was at a bar, her alcohol problem was gone. At least that was what they had thought, that was what her PEAP counselor had told Grissom.

She felt a shiver run down her spine as she brushed a strand of brown hair out of her eyes. Sara tucked her jacket around herself tighter, looking around for any sign of life. No one was in the distance, not even a parked car. It was if she were the only living being left on the planet. It was starting to make her feel uncomfortable.

A cab. She could call a cab, she thought to herself. Reaching into her pocket for her cell phone, she cursed as she discovered she didn't even have it with her. Well that was just great. She couldn't call for a cab or for a friend to pick her up from this damn place, she was stuck. She was going to have to walk if she wanted to get out of there right this minute.

Sara just sighed, looking around. The place really was deserted. It looked like an area of Vegas she had never been around, it didn't look familiar to her. There was a rusty metal trash-can leaned up against a wall of an old building, absolutely covered in graffiti. There was an empty lot across the street from her, surrounded by a menacing-looking metal gate. Posters were plastered all over the place, probably by people trying to promote themselves on the streets, Sara thought.

And then something else crossed her mind- was it possible no one was here because...this was one of the more _dangerous _parts of town?

As soon as the thought crossed her mind Sara's heart started to beat faster. Now she really had to get out of there. She didn't hear or see anyone in the distance- not even a cat- but now she was really spooked.

Especially when she heard footsteps behind her.

Sara quickly turned herself around, panicked. The person who had been behind her was a tall man, dressed in baggy black-jeans and an over-sized white tank. He was bald and had a thin mustache going-on-beard that encircled his mouth. His lips were moist as they curled into a sadistic grin, curling over his green teeth. This man was not shy at all. But he didn't have to be, Sara thought, because...there was no one to help her, nowhere to go.

The man took a step closer to Sara and she backed up. She saw a tattoo on his right arm, looking to be a gang symbol. This guy was a gang member, she concluded. She wasn't sure if it could get any worse than this.

"Unlucky bitch," he cackled. His laugh was hoarse and crackily.

"I don't...want any trouble.." Sara cautiously said. She looked around for a weapon. There was a piece of wood next to her. If only she could get it, she could try to hit him to knock him out.

"Who said anything 'bout trouble?" he asked. His voice had that street accent to it, confirming her suspicions about him being part of a street gang. "I'm just gonna have a 'lil fun is all."

Why did she have to have those drinks? Why did she have to get off the bus on the wrong stop? Sara immediately regretted even waking up this morning as she disovered what sort of situation she was in. "...I just want to get home," Sara said quietly, mentally cursing as the fear she felt inside of her was evident in her voice.

The guy just grinned. "I'll take you some place even better," he told her.

Sara quickly threw herself to her left, grabbing the piece of wood she had seen before in the alley next to her. He was close behind, though, and when she made a move to swing it at him he grabbed her arm before it could hit him. His grip was tight and unmerciful; his nails were digging into her skin even through her jacket and her skin was on fire.

Dropping the piece of wood to the ground from the pain his hold on her was causing her, Sara looked up at him in terror. He knew he was going to be able to win this battle, and that was what angered her the most. He knew he was invoking so much terror in her, he knew he was going to win. And the worst part about it...

...was that he was enjoying every second of it.

He slammed her against the alley wall, pushing her body to his. She could feel his erection grinding against her through his jeans. "You're gonna enjoy it," he whispered to her. "Hear me? You're gonna enjoy it," he repeated. Shifting the grip he had on her, he immediately grabbed her other arm to stop her from flailing. He carried her toward the old building she had been standing in front of.

"Let me go!" Sara screamed. She knew it wouldn't matter how much she screamed, it was clear that no one was going to hear her.

Her attacker ignored her, and instead of doing as she asked, kicked the door to the old rotting building and shoved her inside. It was dark, the only light coming into the building was from the stars and the moon. She couldn't see much-- she almost tripped over an old cardboard box and she saw some trash and broken glass in a corner. She was unable to scan the room further as he shoved her onto her back and she landed on an old dirty mattress.

He quickly threw himself against her, slamming her wrists above her head. Her cries for him to stop only spurred him on even more. "Keep talking," he encouraged her. "Make it good for me.." he whispered into her ear, his body straddling her waist as his hands travelled up to the collar of her jacket. Without warning he ripped it open, staring down at her chest through her shirt. Throwing the remains of her jacket off to the side, he slid a hand onto her stomach, roughly kneading the skin.

"Stop it," Sara whispered. "That hurts.."

"I don't give a damn," he hissed, sliding his hand up her shirt. Feeling her bra, he reached into his pocket and removed a pocket knife, sliding it under her shirt. She shuddered as she felt the cold metal against her skin as he slipped it underneath her bra and sliced it in half. The pocket knife seemed to vanish as he ripped her shirt opened like an animal devouring its dinner and she felt him sink a tooth into her breast.

Sara couldn't help it and screamed. Her mouth was covered with his, muffling her cries and finally stopping them altogether as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. He unzipped his pants quickly, moving his hands down to the waistband of her own pants, unbuckling them hastily. He slid them down her legs and she whimpered as his hands brushed against her bare flesh.

Sara looked up at the ceiling. She thought of a cartoon character. She did anything she could for her subconscious to not be present during what she was going to have to endure. She tried to think of the boys at the lab sitting down playing Playstation as Greg whined about his coffee and Catherine and Grissom just rolled their eyes. She tried to think of a puppy, anything to keep her mind away from what was about to happen.

Trying to invision Bugs Bunny eluding the ever-stubborn Elmer Fudd did not keep Sara from feeling the pain of her assailant's forceful entry. He tore into her, first once, and then twice. Each time he entered her sent a new wave of pain throughout her entire body, each same and yet different from the last. His hands were on her shoulders to hold him up and he pushed her down as he ground her into the mattress.

Sara was crying, her cheeks were tear-stained and her hair was matted down. When he was finally finished with her, he got up off of her and reached into one of the cardboard boxes in the building to retrieve something. Sara stared up at him, completely helpless against anything he was going to do.

Grabbing her arms, he slammed them together, one over the other in a criss-cross formation as he held up what he got from the box. It was rope. He wrapped it around her wrists and tied a knot so tight that it ripped her skin. Looking down at her, he leaned down at kissed her cheek before he slammed her head against the cold, hard floor.

And then the world turned black.


	2. Chapter One: Tears of Alcohol

**A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed, I was really shocked at how many reviews I got for the first chapter. You guys are all very encouraging and you seriously made my day. I was squee-ing my head off for hours! Hope you guys like this new chapter, Warrick appears in this one!**

**Chapter One: Tears of Alcohol**

"Would you like another one?"

Sara looked up at the bartender who took her empty beer bottle from her. She nodded quickly.

"Keep them coming."

What had happened the night before was something Sara definetly did not want to remember. She knew drinking probably wasn't the smartest thing in the world to do at the moment, but she didn't have a lot of options. One night, one horrific ordeal...and one decision: she wanted to be numb. And so she was going to be numb.

Thank god she still had time before she had to go back to work. When she had woken up, she had looked around only to discover that she was in her apartment. So great, that meant that whoever had done that to her knew where she lived. The bathroom of her apartment was a mess- she was so exhausted to do anything when she had come to that she didn't bother to pick up any discarded clothing. So in the bathroom lay the torn remains of her clothes, mostly anything and everything that had to do with the horrific details of the night before.

Except for the physical reminders of what she went through. That damn rope sure had done a number on her wrists. Dark purple and red rings encircled her wrists, along with scabs from where the rope had dug into them. She had a nasty bruise on her right remple and various bruises and cuts,- the bruises mostly resembling fingers- on different parts of her body.

She didn't go to the hospital. But she had a reason not to. She didn't want to make a big deal over this, it was a stupid mistake on her part. If only she hadn't decided to work that stupid case at the lab she knew would give her nightmares, or gone to that bar and gotten trashed, being too tired to check where the bus was going before she got on, this wouldn't have happened to her and she wouldn't have this giant secret to hide from everyone.

She was weak.

And she made a stupid choice.

She couldn't get over how stupid she had been! She was the one always going on about how she was trained in weaponless defense, and there she was unable to do anything to defend herself.

"Ma'am, are you okay?"

Sara blinked when the bartender looked over at her.

"Would you like a tissue?" he asked her.

Sara didn't even know she was crying. He handed her a tissue and she thanked him, drying the streaks of tears that were running down her cheeks.

She wasn't going to let anyone know about this. They couldn't. They would think of her as...stupid, weak, pathetic. And that was not the image Sara Sidle wanted her coworkers, and friends, to see her as.

So she was going to be strong. Or at least she was going to appear strong.

Because...the truth...was that Sara was terrified. Horrified that such a thing could've happened to her, terrified that it would happen again and she wouldn't be able to stop it. Disgusted that someone took advantage of her like that, and afterwards had no feelings or remorse or sorrow. She was a trophy for her assailant.

And 'assailant' wasn't even the right term. It was '_rapist'_. But she hated that word. She wanted to gag when she heard it. And she couldn't bare the thought that now she was just another rape victim. A statistic in a record book.

Sara was getting more and more angry with herself with every thought that crossed her mind. Picking the brown bottle in front of her up, she gulped down the rest of it and called the bartender over. As if on cue, the bartender removed her empty bottle and slid a new one in front of her, which she took greedily.

And so she sat. And she drank. And she tried to wash the horrible memories away with a few sips of alcohol.

Warrick Brown had seen a lot of things in his lifetime. Being a criminalist, he had gone to crime-scenes and had seen the most outrageous things. He had seen suspects that were still at the scenes with no clothes on, he had seen bodies that had been butchered with each seperate body part wrapped in plastic bags. Really, there was almost nothing he didn't think he had already seen.

Except for what he was about to see tonight.

He was currently in his Tahoe, driving along the Strip listening to some music. It had been a long night, another long shift, and all he needed right now was a drink. Sure, he could just run to a liquor store and buy a six-pack to take home, but he wanted to get out, maybe even chat with a few people. He had felt like he was being suffocated in the lab, he had been in there for some odd-hours straight and he needed to get some space and some time to himself.

And it wasn't like he had anything or anyone to go home to anyways. Tina and Warrick had officially divorced, she actually threw the ring at his head, it was a wonder it didn't hit him. Warrick had loved Tina, but...there was a part of him that had been suspecting that their marriage wasn't going to work out. The second he slid the ring onto her finger he knew that this wasn't right, it didn't seem right and it didn't feel right. It just wasn't going to end well, he knew right then and there.

And besides, she looked happy with the 'birthday planner' she had been with. Yeah, birthday-planner-Warrick's-ass. They looked pretty friendly in the casino, and even more friendly when Warrick had come home and walked in on them in their bedroom.

_His_ bedroom. Where _he_ slept. It was sickening...what if they had done that...before he caught them, and he slept in that bed...?

So needless to say Mr. Brown had a lot on his mind.

Turning the radio off, he pulled his car over to the side of the road right behind another car and put it in park. He grabbed his keys and put them in his pocket and opened his door, getting out. After closing his door, Warrick locked the car up and walked across the street to the bar. It was actually a bit cold that night, and it was started to sprinkle.

Walking inside, Warrick tugged down the sides of his black leather jacket, playing with his keyring in his hands. Walking through the building, he smiled a few people sitting down, he had certainly gotten more than woman's attention. Walking over to the bar, he sat down on a stool and motioned to the bartender to come over to him.

"What can I get for you, Sir?" the bartender asked.

"Rum and Coke," Warrick said.

"Coming right up."

Warrick looked around as he waited for the bartender to come back with his drink. The bar was a fair size, not too small, not too large. There were flashing lights and music was playing in the background, but it wasn't deafening which he found nice. The bar also wasn't that busy, so that would give him time to sit and think.

"Here you are, Sir," the bartender said, setting his drink down in front of him.

"Thank you," Warrick said, reaching into his pocket for some money. Setting a few bills down on the counter, he looked across from him and saw someone sitting across from him. Their face was hidden behind a beer bottle, but it was a woman, he could tell by the long brown hair of the person. She looked to be alone, and looked as if she had been there for a while.

And the bottle was taken away and Warrick saw who this woman was. It was none other than Sara Sidle.

But what was she doing here? It was her week off, but that was beside the point, her alcohol problem was over and done with. She was seeing a counselor about that, he knew, he had overheard Grissom talking about it over the phone to Brass. So why was she here...? He thought she had been doing so well, she always seemed to go straight home after work and she declined all of Catherine's invitations to go out and get a drink.

From what Warrick could see, Sara looked absolutely horrible. She had bags under her eyes and her hair was messy. She looked absolutely exhausted.

He sighed a picked his drink up, deciding to go see how she was doing. He had never seen Sara like this before, she was always so full of life, and...this wasn't the Sara he knew.

He stared at the shadow of what she was, and stared at the person she had become. Where had the old Sara Sidle gone?

Walking over to Sara, he noticed she lifted her head and made eye-contact with him. It took her a moment to register that he was actually there, and he offered a small wave of his hand to greet her. But the second the realization that one of her coworkers was witnessing her drinking so much had hit her, she immediately got up out of her seat.

"Whoa, Miss, careful," the bartender told her, offering a hand to help her steady herself as she swayed back-and-forth. "Do you have someone to drive you home?" he asked her.

Sara completely ignored the voice of the bartender. Everything was muted out except for the tiny voice in her head that was screaming at her to get out of there. _It's Warrick! He sees you, he knows what you're doing! He's going to ask you what you're doing, and then why! Your drinking problem was supposed to be gone, imagine what's going to happen! You're going to get in trouble with Grissom and Ecklie! Get the hell out of there!_

"Sara...?" Warrick asked, tilting his head as he looked at her. Her eyes were wide with...an emotion Warrick couldn't make out. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

_GET OUT OF THERE!_ Sara's mind screamed at her. That was the only other motivation Sara needed, and as Warrick took a step toward her she bolted for the back exit.

"Sara!" Warrick said, quickly setting his drink down and running after her.

_He can't find out, he can't know why you were drinking..._ Sara thought, running out of the bar, the door flung open behind her. _He can't find out about what happened..._

"Sara, stop!" Warrick yelled, running out the door. It was now pouring down rain if that was even possible (Warrick didn't see how it could be since it seemed like only moments ago that it had started to sprinkle), and the ground was soaked with water, making it slippery. Sara was fast, but he was catching up quickly. But why was she running in the first place? "Sara, stop! I want to talk to you!"

_You can't talk to him, he'll find out what happened and you can't afford to let that happen. He can't know that you made such a stupid mistake!_ Sara told herself, rounding a corner.

"Sara, stop!" Warrick said again. He rounded the corner after her, watching as she continued down the sidewalk, her hair now sopping wet and sticking to the sides of her face.

_Keep going! Keep going, you have to!_ Sara thought, running still.

Warrick was finally centimeters away from her after running what seemed like a few miles. Finally catching up to her at the side of a 7-Eleven, he wrapped his arms around her waist to stop her from going any further, his grip tight but gentle.

"Let go of me!" Sara screamed, kicking and thrashing against him.

"Sara, stop!" Warrick yelled again, tightening the hold he had on her. Why was she struggling against him, why was she running in the first place? It didn't make sense.

"Let me go, leave me alone!" Sara yelled. She turned around and threw a few punches at him- weak ones, Warrick might add- landing blows to his chest.

"Sara, dammit, stop!" Warrick yelled as she continued to try and swing at him. He grabbed onto her wrists to keep her still. She winced, trying to tear her wrists away from him, and this did not go unnoticed by Warrick. Looking down at Sara's sopping-wet shirt sleeves, he reached down and slowly lifted one of the sleeves up to reveal her bruised wrists. "My god, Sara..." he whispered. "What happened?"

Sara just stared up at him, finally not struggling anymore against Warrick. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes, her bottom lip starting to quiver as she fought back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Sara..?" Warrick asked again, letting go of her wrists and putting a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Sara, just tell me what happened.." he quietly told her, looking into her eyes.

And that was when Sara broke down and started to cry. She was already on the verge of tears and seeing his concerned puppy-dog eyes looking into hers made her crack. She buried her face against his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his back as she cried.

"Sara..." Warrick whispered, wrapping an arm around her and burying one hand in her hair to gently rub her head. "It's okay, Sara..." he told her, though he still didn't know why she was crying. "It's okay, Sara, you can tell me.." he whispered, resting his head against hers.

"Take me home," Sara whispered. "Please...I just want to go home..."

"...Okay," Warrick told her, beginning to pull away from the embrace to get out his keys.

"No," Sara whispered, squeezing him even tighter. "Don't let go," she said, her knuckles beginning to turn white from how tight her hold on the loose ends of his shirt was. "Please, don't." She felt like she was naked in front of a crowd, she just felt...exposed. And it was unnerving, she felt as thought the second she let of him, or he let go of her, she was going to be unsafe, in the line of fire.

"Okay," Warrick told her. "It's okay," he said. "I'm going to pick you up, okay?" he quietly asked. Sara just nodded. Turning Sara around, Warrick scooped her up into his arms, one arm holding onto her legs and the other propping her back up. She rested her head against his chest and kept her hold on his shirt. "I'm going to carry you to the car," he told her, starting to walk back.

"Thank you," Sara whispered, closing her eyes.

"No problem.." Warrick told her. Now he knew something was definetly wrong, but what? Looking down at her, Warrick could see that the layers of make-up she had on were washed away from the rain, exposing a rather large and nasty-looking bruise on her right temple. Warrick winced, gently brushing his fingertips over it. What the hell had happened to Sara? Warrick didn't know.

But he did know one thing.

If someone hurt her, he was going to kill that son-of-a-bitch.


	3. Chapter Two: The Truth is Too Painful

**A/N: Thanks again to all who reviewed! I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story! Here's a new chapter!**

**Chapter Two: The Truth is Too Painful  
**

Warrick carried a sleeping Sara to his car, wrapping his black leather jacket around her to keep her warm. He set her down in the passenger's seat, making sure the jacket was wrapped around her tightly, almost like a blanket, and he made sure she looked comfortable before he buckled her in and closed the door. He ran around to the driver's-side door and got inside, closing the door and looking over at her.

What had happened to her...? Warrick had never seen anyone like this before, let alone Sara. She looked absolutely terrified, and why had she run from him? He saw her bruised wrists...and the bruise on her forehead. Had someone hurt her? What had happened...? Sara didn't tell him, leaving him to wallow in his oblivious state.

With a sigh, Warrick pressed down on the gas pedal and started off toward Sara's apartment. He never thought he would end up doing this, to tell the truth. He was always there for his friends, and Sara was one of his friends, but she had never asked for his help, that was, unless of course she was working on a case. No one really knew that much about Sara, she never opened up to anyone when something was bothering her.

Warrick knew Sara was a strong woman. Hell, anyone knew that from spending even just a few minutes with her. The second Sara had come to Vegas, she was all-business. Warrick and Sara had gotten off to a rocky start, she had come to handle the internal investigation of the Holly Gribbs case, and he didn't like the things she was implying when she came to question her. But as time passed, their relationship grew and grew, and they finally became good friends.

Friends- friends that were able to joke with eachother in the break room, friends that were able to tell eachother when they had an oil smudge on their faces from processing a car, friends that were able to play chess together while waiting on an experiment, and friends that were able to help eachother sift through the contents of a vacuum bag found at a crime-scene.

As Warrick got to know Sara more and more, he actually felt like he had known her all his life. She was such an easy person to like; she had a great sense of humor and she was sensitive, always there for people when they needed her.

Truth be told, Warrick was actually going to go to Sara after what he saw in his bedroom. He knew Sara would be willing to give him a shoulder to cry on, that she would be willing to listen to him, no matter what time of the day or night it was that he decided to talk to her. He knew she would be able to comfort him, Sara had helped Nick after the nightmarish events of what had happened last year, and she actually tried to help Grissom when a rare case or two was able to get to him. He thought he was the one who was going to be crying out for help.

But it was the other way around. Warrick didn't know what happened to Sara, but something definetly _did_ happen. She was so emotionally unstable...when Warrick had finally caught up to her outside of the 7-Eleven she could barely form a coherent sentence, let alone look him straight in the eye. He could tell she was both physically and mentally exhausted.

But what had happened? Warrick couldn't get the thought out of his mind. If someone hurt Sara, then...he didn't understand why. Who would want to hurt Sara? She never did anything to hurt anyone, she did things to _help_ people, not to _hurt_ them.

Finally pulling up at Sara's apartment complex, Warrick sighed, looking over at her sleeping form. He instinctively brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. She seemed to have relax a bit since he had set her inside the car, and that was good, Warrick knew. Warrick just looked at her for a minute- she looked so peaceful now...and she looked absolutely beautiful, even with the few bruises she had on her face.

Not letting his mind wander any further, Warrick got out of his car and walked over to the passenger's side door after closing his door. He opened Sara's door and unbuckled her, gently scooping her back up into his arms. He knew he was going to need a key for her apartment, but he didn't want to wake Sara up, so he headed down the cement hallway of the apartment complex toward the lobby after locking the car up. Reaching the door, he knocked and walked inside, looking around.

An older man of about sixty looked over at Warrick, immediately getting to his feet. "Excuse me...can I help you?" It was obvious Sara looked familiar to him, Warrick could tell by the look in his eyes.

"Yes...my name is Warrick Brown, I'm a friend of Sara Sidle's..." Warrick said.

"Is Sara okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so..." Warrick said. "She's just tired. She wanted me to take her home, could I have a spare key so I can take her inside?"

"Of course, yes, get her somewhere nice and warm," the man said. Walking over to a small box, he opened it up and looked around for a minute before taking a single key out and handing it to Warrick. "Her apartment is number 102."

"Thank you," Warrick said, turning to head out.

"Young man?"

Warrick turned around, looking at the man. "Yes?"

"Take care of her."

Warrick smiled at the man. "I will, Sir. Thank you, and have a good night."

Warrick walked out of the lobby and headed down the hallway under the roof of the building. Making sure Sara was still wrapped in his jacket, he rounded a corner and headed to her apartment, stopping in front of the door to unlock it. Sliding the key in the lock, he quickly opened the door and walked inside, closing the door behind him. He carried her into the living room and set her down on the couch.

Sara mumbled something, rolling over onto her side. Warrick smiled a little and grabbed a blanket from off the back of the couch, draping it over her. He tucked her in and propped her head up on a throw pillow. After she was tucked in, Warrick sat down in a lounge chair next to the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

Now Warrick was thinking of different things that could have happened. Someone could have attacked her...it was highly possible. Or maybe she just fell...but no, Warrick didn't think so. He saw the injuries on her wrists, and Sara wasn't a clumsy person.

And then it hit him. She had bruises on her wrists.

Warrick quickly got up from his seat and kneeled down beside Sara. She rolled over onto her back, letting Warrick see her arms. He gently took her arms in his and lifted her sleeves up. Angry red and purple bruises on both of her wrists, along with some deep sliced into her wrists. They were not self-inflicted, the slices encircled her wrists, they weren't horizontal cuts into the front-side of her wrist. And he also noted the finger abrasions, which only confirmed his suspicions more and more.

Warrick set her arms back down at her sides and decided to look around. He knew he shouldn't, it wasn't right to snoop around Sara's things, but now he was really worried, and he thought he might be able to find something that helped him understand what had happened to her. Warrick got up and headed into the kitchen to have a look around. The kitchen was empty, the fridge was empty, there were only a few magazines on the bar and nothing more.

Walking down the hallway, Warrick spotted a door to his left- the bathroom, he suspected. He felt awkward about walking into Sara's bathroom, especially without her knowledge...but he needed to know.

Warrick reached inside and clicked on a light switch before cracking the door open. What Warrick discovered in the bathroom made him gasp.

There were discarded clothes- no, torn clothes- strewn all over the floor. A torn blouse lay a few feet away from Warrick, along with some blood-stained jeans. Next to the shirt in jeans lay a bra with a drop of blood in the very middle of it, and just above it were the torn remains of a jacket. But what stood out the most of Warrick's findings was blood-stained rope that had been sliced in half.

"Oh my god..." Warrick whispered, looking around. "...What is this...?" Warrick knew what it was. He really did, he just didn't want to believe it. This, in front of him, in the middle of Sara Sidle- his friend's- apartment, was evidence.

He didn't think that whatever happened to Sara had happened here at her apartment, as the apartment looked relatively clean, except for the bathroom. The bedroom was undisturbed, Warrick checked, as was the kitchen and the living room. So the crime-scene was somewhere else.

Switching out of CSI-mode, Warrick almost ran into the living room, kneeling back down beside Sara. "Sara...wake up," he told her, gently shaking her. "Please, Sara, wake up..."

Sara slowly cracked an eye open, jumping a bit when she saw someone beside her. She immediately relaxed when she realized who it was. "Hey...Warrick..." she whispered. "..Where am I...?"

"I took you home, you asked me to, remember..?" Warrick asked.

"Oh...yeah..." Sara quietly said. "...What's..going on? You look...scared," Sara whispered, though she knew she was one to talk.

Warrick gulped. He sure wasn't looking forward to asking Sara this. "...Sara, what happened to you?" he softly asked. "...I saw the bathroom...and your wrists, your head..." he added. "...Please tell me what happened.."

Sara sighed. She knew she wasn't going to able to make something up, Warrick was a great CSI, he would find out eventually if she didn't tell him now. "...Okay.." she said, her voice a bit shakey. "..But...will you sit down next to me?" she whispered.

"Of course," Warrick told her. Gently moving her legs, he sat down on the couch beside her and she immediately moved from her place on the couch to his lap, curling up in his arms until he was cradling her. "Take your time.." Warrick told her, wrapping the blanket around her again. "Because I'm not going anywhere..."

"...Okay.." Sara sighed again, resting her head against his chest. She was terrified, but the steady beat of his heart calmed her some. "...The other night, I went out for a few drinks..." Sara started. "...I didn't..have anyone to drive me home, and I didn't want to call you guys...because...my drinking problem is gone, as far as you knew.." she sighed.

Warrick nodded slowly. That was understandable...

Sara swallowed. "So...a bus drove up. I looked at where it was going...it was relatively close to my apartment complex..." she said. "So...I got on...but when it stopped...I was so tired, that I didn't check to make sure I was getting off at the right stop..." she whispered. "...So I got off...and the bus drove off...and I looked around...and I nothing seemed familiar to me..."

"Do you know where you were, exactly?" Warrick quietly asked, slowly running his fingers through her hair. Tina liked that...she said it relaxed her. Maybe it would relax Sara, too.

"No..." Sara whispered. "It was deserted, there was graffiti, a trash can...an old building behind me...and it was dark," Sara said. "...I felt...really...uncomfortable. So I decided to walk the rest of the way home..."

Warrick nodded. He could start to see where this was going, and he didn't like it.

"...And then...I heard someone behind me.." Sara whispered.

Warrick swallowed hard, trying not to curse. "...Did you see what they looked like..?" he asked.

Sara grimaced, trying not to gag. "Yeah.." she whispered. "...Tattoo...on his right arm...I think it was gang-related.." she whispered. "Bald...green eyes...tall...baggy black jeans, white tank.." she said quietly.

Warrick nodded slowly, rubbing her back.

"...I..told him I didn't want any trouble..." Sara continued. "..But..he didn't seem to care..." she said. "...I tried...to hit him, with a piece of wood, but...he grabbed my wrist..." Sara whispered, fighting back tears. "...And...he pushed me against the wall..." Sara was about to continue when she remembered the feeling of him against her. Shooting up from Warrick's lap, she ran into the bathroom and collapsed in front of the toilet, emptying the few contents of her stomach.

Warrick followed her toward the bathroom, but she stumbled out before he could walk inside and landed in his arms, burying her face against his chest as she started to quietly sob. "It's okay, Sara.." Warrick whispered, leaning his head against hers, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "It's okay..."

"..He raped me," Sara whispered in between sobs.

Warrick's eyes went wide with shock, even though it was what he had been suspecting all along. "Why didn't you tell someone..?"

"Because I was ashamed," Sara whispered. "I shouldn't have been drinking in the first place, and...the truth is too painful for me the bare," Sara cried. "I tried to stop him," Sara whispered. "I told him to stop, I did...I said no, but he wouldn't listen.." she cried.

"Sara...you have nothing to be ashamed of, it wasn't your fault.." Warrick whispered, running his fingers through her hair. "It's okay, Sara..." he told her. "It's okay...you're safe now..." He was really going to kill the bastard who did this to her, that was for sure.

"Don't leave me," Sara whispered. "Please...don't leave me. I woke up in my apartment, and my wrists were tied up...he knows where I live..."

"I'm not going to leave you, Sara," Warrick told her. "I'm not...but I'm going to take you to the hospital, okay?"

"No.." Sara whispered. "I can't.."

"Yes you can, Sara," Warrick encouraged her. "You can...you know you can. You're strong, you can do this...I'll be right there with you."

Sara slowly nodded, looking up at him.

"There..." Warrick said, offering a small smile. He wiped her tears from her eyes. "I'm going to take you to the car, okay?"

"Can you carry me..?" Sara whispered.

"Of course..." Warrick told her, scooping her up into his arms. He walked down the hallway and opened the door to her apartment, closing it behind her as he carried Sara to his car.


	4. Chapter Three: Rescuing Sara Sidle

**A/N: Glad you guys like the story! Truth be told, I was a bit nervous posting this story, actually (other than the fact that I wrote it at 2:00 am), because of some of the content. But I am glad that there are people enjoying it! In this chapter, there reveals part of the reason I chose the title that I did for this story. I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter!**

**Chapter Three: Rescuing Sara Sidle**

Warrick carried Sara out of her apartment, keeping her wrapped in his jacket to shield her from the rain. He quickly made it over to his car and opened the passengers'-side door, setting her down inside. Once she was buckled in, he closed her door and jogged around to the drivers'-side door, opening it and stepping inside. Putting the key in the ignition, he backed out of the apartment complex parking lot and drove off toward Desert Palm.

The drive to the hospital was silent. Warrick was speechless and Sara was still terrified. And really, what was Warrick going to tell her? Telling her that he was sorry about what happened to her really wasn't going to help her feel any better, he had no idea how she must be feeling at the moment. But still…he wished that there was some way he could take away her pain; she had been through enough and what had happened to her shouldn't have happened to her, let alone anyone for that matter.

Sara was sitting in the passenger's seat curled up into a little ball. Warrick's jacket was wrapped around her shoulders and she clung to it for dear life, as if she let go she would die right then and there. For Sara the jacket was actually a small sense of reassurance; it smelt of Warrick, it was his. It felt to her as if he was actually holding her in his arms, though she knew he wasn't.

Warrick looked over at Sara, taking his eyes off of the road for a moment. He could see her knuckles turning white from the hold she had on his jacket. She was curled into a tight little ball and her knees were drawn up to her chest. His observation just made him angrier and angrier; how dare someone do this to her, she didn't deserve to live her life in this kind of fear.

He knew that the second he got his hands on the bastard that had hurt her he was not going to let go. At least that was what was _going_ to happen if someone didn't keep Warrick away from him. But then another thought crossed his mind- he was going to have to call Grissom and the rest of the team and tell them what happened…which was something he really didn't look forward to doing. He didn't want to have to talk about Sara like just another victim…she was special, she wasn't just a piece of evidence or a name on a file.

He was going to work on this case and he was going to find out who had done this to Sara. He didn't care what Grissom said, or even Ecklie, Sara was the most important thing to him right now. No one else mattered, not even himself. That was his promise to her.

Sara was still in the same position as before, looking through the car window through damp strands of hair; hair damp from sweat and the rain. Even she could sense the eerie silence that had engulfed them both in the car; the only sound was the pitter-patter of rain drops hitting the windshield and the hum of the Tahoe's engine. They had turned onto a dark street, only illuminated by the dull streetlights ahead. There was an old rusty trash can propped up against the side of a building. This seemed a bit too familiar for Sara.

She looked around, a bile forming in her throat. The building was the exact same color as _that_ building- the building where _it_ happened. It was a pale orange color plastered in graffiti, it was a wonder it had not been torn-down or remodeled already. Swallowing her fear, she looked to her left, seeing the same gated-fence surrounding the empty lot filled with trash and papers. This was the place. There was even a sign for the bus stop.

"Warrick…" Sara whispered, starting to panic.

"What?" Warrick asked, turning to look at her. "Sara…? Are you okay?" he asked. All the color had drained from her face, she was deathly pale and her voice was shaky. "What is it, Sara?" he asked her again.

"I…" Sara couldn't find her voice. Her words got caught in her throat. Looking out the window, she could see herself standing in front of the building at the bus stop. She could hear the footsteps- _his _footsteps. She could feel the cold night breeze through the thin material of her jacket and the fear rising up inside of her again that took the sting of the cold night air away.

"Sara, what is it?" Warrick asked, getting worried. She was getting panicked, he could tell by the look in her eyes. But what was she panicked about?

Sara felt her throat constricting. She couldn't breathe, oh god she couldn't breathe! He was here, he was suffocating her and she couldn't breathe! She moved around frantically, trying to find something to cling onto. Feeling Warrick's upper forearm, she grabbed a hold of him and squeezed as tight as she could.

"Sara, breathe," Warrick told her. She was having a panic attack, and if she didn't breathe she was going to pass out. Warrick slowly began to pull the car over to the side of the road, right in front of a bus stop sign.

"No! No, don't pull over!" Sara screamed. "No!"

"Sara, what is it?" Warrick asked. "Tell me what's going on, what's happening?"

"He's going to come back, don't pull the car over!" Sara screamed. "He was right there!" she yelled, pointing her index finger in front of the building they had pulled over beside.

Warrick started to put it all together. Was this where everything had taken place? He could mental note of the street name. "Sara, breathe, okay? He's not going to come back, I promise you that. You're safe now."

Sara looked over at him. "You…promise?"

"Yes," Warrick said. "I'm never going to let him hurt you again. I give you my word."

Sara leaned over and unbuckled herself, burying herself in Warrick's arms. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held onto her tightly. "Shh…" he told her. "Shh…it's okay, calm down…"

"I can't do this, Warrick," Sara whispered. "I can't, I really can't…I'm scared."

"Sara, you _can_ do it. I know you can. You're the strongest person I've ever met and ever known. You can beat him…"

"How…?" Sara whispered.

"I can't answer that for you, Sara," he whispered. "But you're smart…and you'll beat him." Warrick then thought of something to try and lighten the mood a little. "...You beat me in chess, remember?" he smiled.

Sara looked up at him through tear-stained eyes. "…Yeah…"

"That night we were waiting for the pig to decompose to disprove spontaneous human combustion, Agent Scully," Warrick said with a grin.

"You didn't give up," Sara whispered.

"It's a flaw," Warrick grinned. "That chess game lasted hours…man; I still can't believe you won."

Sara laughed a little, wiping a tear away from her eye. "Rooks move forward Warrick, bishops move diagonally."

Warrick laughed. "I'll try and remember that next time."

Sara smiled a little, rested her head against his shoulder. "…Why are you helping me?" she asked. "You should be home…with Tina."

Warrick sighed a little, running a hand through his hair. "She threw the ring at my head, so I guess that means our marriage is over."

Sara's eyes widened. "Oh my god…are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Warrick assured her. "I, uh…walked in on her and this guy…uh…in our bedroom," he frowned.

Sara sighed. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay…truth be told I don't think we were that happy anyways," Warrick told her. "…So can I take you to the hospital now? Will you be okay?" he asked her.

Sara nodded slowly. "Only if you'll be there with me."

"I won't leave."

When they arrived at the hospital, Warrick got out of his car and walked around to Sara's side, opening the door and scooping her into his arms. He closed the door and locked the car up, carrying her toward the hospital like a mother holding an infant. The night air was thick, cold and damp; the aftermath of the sudden rainstorm. Warrick kept her wrapped in his jacket to ensure that she was warm.

The second Warrick carried Sara through the doors she was feeling ten times less confident than she had when he had first mentioned going to the hospital. She looked around at the blindingly-white waiting room; pale cream-colored walls, white linoleum floors, the same depressing pictures plastered on the walls on either side of the room. She had seen this before…and she hated hospitals. She always had, and quite frankly Sara Sidle did not feel safe or comfortable about these people touching her.

Sara clung to the loose ends of Warrick's shirt as he walked up to the front desk.

"We need an empty room right away," Warrick told the receptionist.

The rather tiny woman looked up from her computer monitor, brushing a strand of red hair out of her eyes. "I understand that Sir, but we have a lot of people waiting."

Warrick sighed. "Ma'am, I don't think you do understand. My friend has been sexually assaulted," he said, tightening his hold on Sara's shoulders and legs. "We need a room."

"Sir…I'm very sorry that happened, but as you can see there are many other people wishing they could have special treatment as well. I'm afraid I can't let you through; you're going to have to wait. Please have a seat."

Now Warrick was getting angry. Sara wasn't just any other person, she was his friend. She was important. She meant something, she wasn't just another patient, and he knew that she wanted to get through here as quickly as he did.

"Miss, you listen to me," Warrick told her, taking a step closer to the counter. "My friend has been raped and you're telling me that I have to sit here in this goddamn room for six hours before you can treat her? I don't think so."

"Sir, please calm down," the receptionist told him, contemplating on whether or not she should call security.

"She is an officer of the law," Warrick said.

The woman just sighed, looking back up at Warrick, and then at Sara, then back to Warrick. "Alright, go on through the doors and I'll let a doctor know you're going back."

Warrick sighed. "Thank you," he mumbled, carrying Sara toward the white double-doors leading to the actual emergency room.

"Wow…" Sara smiled.

"What?" Warrick asked.

"…Nothing," Sara said, the smile still on her face. "I suppose it's just the fact that…you really fought for me back there."

Warrick shrugged. "Yeah, well…Sara, you're not just another name on a file. You're important to me."

Sara smiled. "I'm happy to have such a good friend."

Warrick just shot her a smile, walking through the doors. As if on cue a female doctor walked toward them, taking some latex gloves off of her hands. "Let me show you to a room," she told them, not bothering to introduce herself or greet them. She led them to a separate part of the ER and motioned for Warrick to set Sara down on the bed.

The second Warrick set Sara down she whimpered. It was the most pitiful thing Warrick had ever seen in his life; it was like seeing an abandoned puppy in an alley with a broken foot. "Sara, are you okay?" Warrick asked. "Did I…hurt you?" he whispered, worried that he had.

Sara shook her head, grabbing onto his arm. "Don't let go…" she whispered. She knew he would have to in order for the doctor to be able to do her job, but at the moment, she really just wanted Warrick to keep holding her. Screw the evidence; she wanted Warrick to hold her. She didn't feel safe anymore.

"Sara…it's okay, I'll be right here," Warrick told her.

"Actually, Sir…" the doctor trailed off. "I'm afraid you're going to have to go outside in the waiting room. If you would like to make some phone calls you're going to have to go outside in order to use your cell phone."

"No," Sara whispered. "No, he's staying right here."

"Ma'am, we can't do that," the doctor told her. "He needs to go out of this room while we're treating you."

"No, Warrick's not leaving me," Sara said, starting to get hysterical. "Right, Warrick? You're not leaving me?"

"Sara, I'll be just outside in the waiting room," Warrick told her. "Okay? I'll still be nearby…"

"No, I want you here. I need you, I do…" Sara whispered, her eyes pleading with him. "Please…I can't do this without you, you have to be here, and you promised you wouldn't leave me!"

"Sara, I won't leave you," Warrick told her. "Okay? I promise…I'm never going to leave you."

Sara nodded a little. That seemed to have calmed her down. But what really scared her was the male paramedic who had walked into the room to help get everything set up. He wore a mask over his face and had latex gloves on his hands. He walked into the room and got close to Sara- much too close for her comfort- as he began to try and set up her IV drip.

"Don't come near me," Sara whispered. Her eyes were everywhere, Warrick saw- she looked like she was looking for a way out of a pit.

"Ma'am, I'm setting up your IV," he told her, reaching toward her arm.

"No, you're not touching me," Sara said, backing up toward the wall. "Get your hands away from me; you're not laying a finger on me."

"Ma'am—"

"I SAID NO!"

Sara reached out and slapped his hand away when he came too close to her and he dropped the drip in his hand.

"Sara, calm down," Warrick told her, trying desperately to calm her down.

Sara couldn't hear Warrick's voice over the sound of her own screaming. By now half the hospital staff had run into the room, doctors and nurses alike.

"What's going on in here?" a nurse asked.

"We need to calm her down, she's going to hurt someone if not herself," the doctor told her.

In seconds the hospital staff was around her bed, trying to calm her down.

"NO, DON'T TOUCH ME! GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!" Sara screamed, trying to punch and kick to keep them away from her.

"Sara, calm down, please!" Warrick told her. "Sara!"

The doctors and nurses tried to hold her down, but she was moving much too quickly for them to get a good grip on her arms and legs.

"Move!" the doctor said. The nurses and other doctors had moved away from the hospital bed where the thrashing Sara lay to look up at the female doctor in charge. She had grabbed some leather straps. Warrick knew what these were; they were restraints.

"NO!" Sara screamed. "No, no, no, no!" she yelled, trying to get off of her bed. "NO! DON'T TIE ME UP!"

"No restraints!" Warrick yelled. "She doesn't like restraints!"

The doctor ignored both Warrick and Sara's pleas and finally had to take the reigns. She pushed Sara down onto her bed until she was laying flat on her back and placed the restrains around her, running across her chest and abdomen. She connected them to the sides of her bed and tightened them so she could thrash no more.

A nurse had followed the doctor and she injected a sedative into Sara's IV drip. Soon Sara started to calm down as it took effect and entered her system until she grew limp, out cold.

"I said not to use restraints!" Warrick yelled at the doctors and nurses.

"Sir, we had to calm her down," the doctor said, trying to justify her actions.

"You have no clue what happened to her! How do you know that you didn't just make things worse?" Warrick asked.

"…Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave before we can't start the SART exam," the doctor told him.

Warrick just narrowed his eyes. Walking over to Sara's bed, he practically shoved the nurse out of the way as he leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back, Sara…" he told her, though he knew she could not hear him. "I promise." And with that Warrick walked out of the room, heading outside.

"Jim…" Warrick sighed once Brass had picked up his phone and he was outside, safe from the hospital staff's wrath. "I need you to get CSI over to an address. Winston Street, yeah…that place with that old record store that should've been torn down a long time ago," Warrick confirmed. "Why?" he asked, repeating the man on the phone's own question. Warrick just sighed. "…Jim, I think Sara was raped there."


	5. Chapter Four: Always On Your Side

**A/N: Thanks again for all the comments! I'm still so thrilled people are enjoying (and reading) the story thus far! This chapter is mostly the team's reactions. :)**

**Chapter Four: Always On Your Side**

"R-Raped…?" Brass asked, almost dropping his Styrofoam cup filled with coffee. "…I don't understand," he told Warrick, though he knew there was no simpler way to put what the younger man on the phone had just told him.

"…She was raped, Jim. And I think it was at that address I just gave you…" Warrick said, swallowing hard. _This is wonderful news for him! He's probably just sitting down to a cozy dinner, too!_

"…How..?" Brass asked, still not registering what Warrick had just told him. "What…I…don't understand..." he said again.

"…She went out this week," Warrick said. "She got off on the wrong bus stop…and she ended up in one of the more dangerous parts of town…" Warrick sighed. "Some…guy…" _Bastard. _"Snuck up behind her…and…you can guess the rest," he sighed again. "We pulled over on the side of the road…and she freaked out. I really think that might be where it all went down."

"…Alright," Brass said. He really didn't know how he was able to find his voice again. "I'll…call Gil…"

"Thanks, Jim…" Warrick sighed.

"No problem…" Brass said. "…How's she doing?"

"I don't know…" Warrick said. "The doctors shooed me out for the…exam," he swallowed. "I'm outside right now…but…from what I saw…she looked really banged-up…" he whispered.

"Jesus…" Brass sighed. Ever since Brass had learned that his daughter Ellie pretty much wanted nothing to do with him, Sara had become sort of the daughter he never had. He always kept an eye on her…their bond was special. And now that he had learned about what happened to her, he wanted nothing more than to kill the son-of-a-bitch who hurt her.

"…I'm going to go back inside," Warrick sighed.

"Right…keep me posted…" Brass said, hanging up.

Warrick put his cell phone in his pocket and took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He couldn't help but feel that he was absolutely useless at the moment. He should be out at the scene, collecting samples and running them back to Wendy and Hodges. He shouldn't be standing outside doing absolutely nothing! That wasn't going to be of any help to Sara.

But Brass was going to call Grissom…who would call the rest of the team. And currently, Warrick really just wanted to be with Sara when she woke up. He didn't want to leave her alone…and he didn't want to be away from her. She needed someone with her right now, someone who would be by her side through this all…and so did he.

Warrick walked back through the doors of the hospital and past the waiting room, ignoring the nasty look the receptionist from before was sending his way. He walked over to the elevators and pressed the button, waiting for the doors to open. Once it had come down, he stepped inside and pressed the button for the second floor- the floor where the cafeteria was.

He waited impatiently as the elevator seemed to take an annoyingly long time. Finally the doors opened and he walked into the cafeteria, heading over to the coffee machine. He grabbed a small-size coffee cup, but then contemplated his choice for a moment.

_Like you're really going to be getting any sleep anyways…you may as well go for the mega-duty size... _Warrick thought to himself. Putting the small cup down, he grabbed the large cup and filled it with regular coffee, adding cream and sugar to it before putting some money on the counter and heading back to the elevators. He pressed the button and he stepped inside, heading back to the first floor- back to Sara.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, he saw the doctor from before walking out of the ER, wiping her forehead off with her sleeve. Warrick almost dropped his cup of coffee as he practically ran over to the doctor.

"How is she? Please…tell me she's okay…" Warrick said.

"She should be fine with plenty of rest…" the doctor sighed. Warrick sighed in relief. "Someone did a number on her, but she's stable."

_And I'm going to kill the bastard,_ Warrick thought.

We ran a cat scan to make sure she didn't have a concussion. Everything looked okay, though she has a nasty bump on her head that I'm sure hurts like hell…" she said. "We gave her some painkillers, and she should be out for about another hour or two."

"Can I see her?" Warrick asked.

"I'm afraid the SART nurse is just finishing up…" the doctor said. "She will be done in just a moment, and then you will be free to go into her room."

Warrick just nodded, before a thought struck him. "…You removed the restraints, right?" The doctor just nodded. "Okay…" Warrick sighed. "Thanks."

Grissom arrived at the Winston Street address Brass had given him and he pulled his car over to the side of the road as yellow crime-scene tape was being placed around the old run-down building. He jumped out and grabbed his kit, walking over to the scene and pulling the tape up over his head to allow him entrance. As he put on a pair of gloves, he immediately frowned at what he saw- a drop of blood near the door, what looked to be a smudge of a semen stain on the frame…

"Gil…"

Catherine's voice made Grissom jump as he turned around and was greeted by the rest of the team. They all had the exact same expression on their faces.

"Hey…" Grissom sighed.

"How's she doing?" Nick spoke up.

"Warrick said she's asleep at the hospital," Grissom answered. "He's going to keep us posted…"

"I…just can't believe…" Greg mumbled. "Who would want to hurt Sara?"

"…Crime of opportunity, maybe…" Catherine sighed.

"Luckily this guy's pretty stupid," Grissom said. "He's left a lot of himself behind, judging from what I can see without the AV. Nick, Greg? I want you two to go to Sara's apartment and process. Catherine, you're with me."

Nick and Greg nodded and walked off, disappearing around the corner as they walked to their cars.

"I'll take the perimeter…" Catherine sighed, walking off toward the alley.

Grissom nodded and kneeled down, opening his kit. Getting out two swabs, he took a sample of the blood on the ground (after making sure it really was indeed blood), and then took a sample of the semen smudge. After putting them in their rightful places, he got to his feet, grabbed his feet and ventured inside.

The inside of the building was a complete mess, though it was not very surprising seeing how it was an old building. Grissom could tell something definitely went on in here recently, however…

He saw ripped clothing on the floor and a small puddle of blood, which was all he needed to see to confirm his doubts that this was in-fact the primary crime-scene. Picking up his phone, he called Catherine.

"What's up…?" Catherine asked from the other line.

"I've got blood, semen, and ripped clothes…" Grissom said. He could hear Catherine sigh from over the phone.

"So did I- minus the ripped clothes."

"You sound disappointed…" Grissom frowned.

"Gil, this is Sara we're talking about," Catherine said. "_Sara_…" she said again, as if for confirmation. "...I…can't stand to be sitting here, just imagining how much she suffered from what that bastard did to her."

Grissom sighed. "I know, Catherine, and I feel the exact same way. But we're going to find him…we have more than enough evidence from what I can see with my naked eye. Plus the evidence from the…rape kit…" he sighed.

"Right…" Catherine said. "…I'll page you if I find anything."

"This place definitely belongs to Sara," Greg said with a small smile to try and lighten the mood a bit as they entered through the door of Sara's apartment. "It's a lot cleaner than my place."

"Clean…organized…and still with its own unique style," Nick smiled, looking around the living room. "That's Sara's work, alright…"

"…So…" Greg sighed. "It doesn't look like anything's disturbed in here, or the kitchen," he said, walking through the kitchen doorway.

"According to Grissom, Warrick said that he found everything in the bathroom…" Nick said, heading down the hallway.

"Right…" Greg mumbled, following after Nick. "I just still don't get it, Nick. Sara would never hurt anyone, who would do such a thing? She's always had everyone's back whenever they needed her- she's always been there for me. She's a great person and friend, she's smart, she's…independent…"

"That…doesn't matter to these guys, Greg," Nick frowned, cracking the door of the bathroom open, immediately turning away once he caught a glimpse of what was inside.

"Holy shit…" Greg whispered, looking down at the blood and torn clothing inside that had been discarded on the floor.

"…She kept it all here, in one piece. Even after everything that had happened to her, Sara still knew to preserve the evidence…" Nick said, smiling just a little.

Warrick headed into the ER after the SART nurse had walked through the doors and OK'd it. After rounding a few corners and passing a few doors, he found Sara's room with the door open and walked through it.

Sara looked a doll amongst the white room. All that was visible was her head and neck and her arms lay on top of the covers, one of which an IV drip was connected to. She looked…relatively better- Warrick could tell the nurses and doctors had tried to clean her up a bit. She was still sleeping, but at least she looked peaceful, Warrick thought.

He took a seat in the chair next to her bed and set his coffee cup down on the small table connected to her bed rail. He folded his hands over one another and leaned back, observing her sleeping form.

_She's an angel in disguise, I swear…look at her…through everything's she's been through, she's still…perfect,_ Warrick thought to himself. _She's beautiful…despite her cuts and bruises she's still beautiful. I don't know of many people who can pull that off…_ he thought, small smile forming across his lips.

Then Warrick thought that this really wasn't the best setting for him to be having these kinds of thoughts in. But why was he having these thoughts…?

Was it because…he…

_No, of course not. Sara's my friend, we're just friends and nothing more. We have a work relationship…_ Warrick actually considered this for a minute. He had never really thought about it before. _…What if you do…_

…_love her?_

At that moment Warrick felt a small vibration from the bed and he immediately looked up at Sara. She had started stirring and she scrunched her face up as she got ready to open her eyes and try to adjust to the blinding light in the room. An eye cracked open, followed by another, and she licked her dry lips as her eyes scanned the room and locked themselves on Warrick sitting next to her.

"Hey…" Warrick said.

"Hey…" she whispered, her voice hoarse. "Can I have some water…?"

"Yeah, of course…" Warrick said, getting to his feet and heading to the sink. Grabbing a paper cup, he turned the faucet on; making sure the water was cold before he filled the cup up. He walked back over to her and handed her the cup.

"Thanks…" Sara whispered, taking the cup from him and leaning forward to drink from it. Warrick watched Sara try to sit up and felt himself tearing-up; watching her squirm around and wince involuntarily every few moments was more pitiful than her whimper from before when he had set her down on her hospital bed and let go of her.

"Here, let me help you," Warrick told her. Sitting down next to her, he pulled his chair closer to her bed and held the cup up to her lips. "Lean your head forward just a bit…" he instructed her.

Sara did as he said and leaned forward until the cup was pressed against her lips. He tilted it back to allow her to get some water and she quickly gulped it down. "Would you like some more?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "No thanks, I'm okay now…"

"Okay…" Warrick said, setting the empty cup down on the table. "…How are you feeling?"

"Not feeling," Sara corrected. With a small smile, she added, "I can't feel as much pain…these drugs are good."

Warrick laughed. "Well…I'm glad, then."

"…Did you stay here the entire time?"

Warrick nodded. "Yeah…you didn't want me to leave, and…quite frankly, I didn't want to leave you, either," he said with a small smile.

Sara smiled a little, grabbing his hand and squeezing it softly. "Thanks, Warrick."


	6. Chapter Five: Chess Game of Love

**A/N: Major thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this far along in the story! Mrs. Eads, I had to re-read your review a thousand times. This is my first time ever writing Warrick/Sara, and I was shocked! Anyways, this chapter is lighter and fluffier; a few friends of mine wanted some time to breathe ;)**

**Chapter Five: Chess Game of Love**

"I'll trade you my tapioca pudding for a sip of your coffee," Sara told Warrick, holding the small package of pudding up with a smile. "Mmm… tapioca pudding- I know you can't resist that."

Warrick just laughed. "Sorry, Sara; as appetizing as you're making it sound, I'm afraid I can't give you any of my coffee."

Sara frowned. "And why is that?"

"Because it's caffeinated," Warrick informed her. "And it'll keep you awake. You need to rest."

Sara frowned. "One sip can't hurt."

Warrick just smiled. "Yes, it can, Sara, because then one sip will turn into two, and then three, and then four…"

Sara rolled her eyes. "Alright, I get it- no coffee."

Warrick grinned. "Besides- how could I deprive you of your delicious tapioca pudding?"

Sara shot him a look, her eyes narrowing. "Ha, ha, ha…very funny."

Warrick laughed. "Come on Sara- it's good for you! Eat up!"

"I think I'll pass," Sara said, pushing the pudding away from her. Warrick shrugged and picked the tray up, setting it down on the table connected to the bed. "So what are we going to do for entertainment in this place?" Sara asked.

Warrick smiled. "Draw faces on the people in magazines? Um, there are…thumb-wars, rock-paper-scissors?"

"I think that would get old rather quickly…there's only so many pages in those magazines…and only so many times you can look at pictures of Paris Hilton before you want to gauge your eyes out," Sara grinned.

Warrick just laughed. "That's very true," he told her with a nod. Sighing, he sat back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. Things to do…what was there to do in a hospital besides sit and bawl your eyes out while one of your loved-ones were in surgery? Not much, Warrick deducted.

Now Warrick tried to think of things he and Sara had done before together. They had watched TV…they had talked…not a lot, actually. Warrick didn't really know what Sara enjoyed; in the break room she usually sat with a book in her lap. But reading didn't sound like the most entertaining thing to Warrick right now.

What else had they done? Was there a game Sara liked? Checkers, Connect Four…

Then the little bell in Warrick's head dinged-

Chess.

They had played chess that night they were disproving spontaneous human combustion! They had just talked about it in the car, how could he have forgotten? They both had a lot of fun that night, joking around with each other as they each moved their chess pieces. Warrick wasn't surprised Sara liked chess- it was a difficult game, all things considered, once you read up on all the rules, and the names of the pieces, how they moved and what-not. It was a sophisticated game that required both skill and strategy.

A small grin found its way onto Warrick's mouth as his face brightened at the thought. Sara noticed how his eyes seemed to sparkle. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"I'll be right back," Warrick said. "I'm going to call Greg, I need to tell him something," he explained to her, getting to his feet. Stretching, Warrick headed to the door of the hospital room and opened it, closing it behind him. He almost ran to the pay-phones, he was so excited. And really, Warrick didn't know why he was so excited- did he like chess that much? Sure, it was a great game, but…it was hard to tell if Warrick was more excited about the game, or just about spending more time with Sara.

Walking over to the pay-phones located in the long hallway of the emergency room- a hallway which seemed to never end- Warrick reached into his coat pocket for some change. Hearing the sound of loose coins clinking around in his pocket, he pulled a handful out and went through them. Penny, penny, penny…nickel, penny, penny, dime, dime, dime, penny, nickel, quarter, dime, dime, penny, penny, quarter. That should be enough, Warrick thought.

Near the men's restrooms was a free payphone, and he took the phone off the receiver and slid the coins through the slot. After dialing Greg's cell phone number, Warrick looked around the small area where the phones were. There was something scratched on the wall- probably a phone number, by the looks of it. There was a yellow phone book to Warrick's left and a page torn out laying on top of it with the number for a Chinese take-out service.

"Hello?" Greg asked over the phone.

"Hey Greg," Warrick greeted, "How's everything going?"

"Pretty good," Greg said. "We went over to Sara's apartment and processed, we got quite a bit. She left all of the evidence in one piece, she's smart."

"Yeah, she is," Warrick said with a smile, though he knew Greg could not see him. "That's our Sara."

"Grissom and Catherine headed over to the address you gave us. They found quite a bit, too. Samples were sent to Wendy and Hodges, we're awaiting the results as we speak," Greg told him. "…So how's Sara doing? Better…?"

"Yeah, she's doing a lot better," Warrick said. "She's…smiling," Warrick said, his own smile only getting bigger and bigger.

"Well that's good," Greg grinned. "Will you tell her I said hi? Actually, tell her we all said hi."

"I will, Greggo," Warrick said. "But before I hang up, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Oh?" Greg asked, hearing a soda fall from the machine in the break room. Picking his soda up, he took the cap off and sat down in a chair, taking a sip. "What's that?"

"Go to my locker," Warrick told him, giving him the combination. _Good thing I never took that chess set home after that night._

Greg laughed. "I get to look around in your locker? Wow, you must really trust me," he grinned. "Nah, no worries- so what do you want me to get from your locker?"

"Towards the back there's something that should look like a small wooden box. It has hinges on it that flip it over and turn it into a small board? It's a chess set; can you bring it over to the hospital?"

"Sure," Greg said, "Getting a little bored, are we?"

Warrick smiled. "Sara wanted something to do."

"Oh I see, so the six channels they have on the hospital television just aren't cutting it for her, eh?"

Warrick laughed. "Guess not; call her crazy."

"Alright, I'll be there in twenty."

"Thanks, Greg," Warrick said. Hanging the phone up, Warrick put his hands in his pockets and walked down the hallway toward Sara's room. This hallway was so long it reminded him of the hallway from The Shining. He almost expected to walk into a room and find the word 'REDRUM' etched on a wall, or maybe for a pool of blood to flood the floor from the elevator.

_Good thing we're not in the world of Mr. Stephen King,_ Warrick thought to himself with a smile, heading back to Sara's room. Opening the door, he poked his head into Sara's room. "Heeeere's Warrick!"

Sara laughed. "What was that all about? Did you just recently re-read The Shining?"

"Nope," Warrick smiled, sitting back down in the chair. "But that hallway outside this room reminds of a scene from the movie."

"I see," Sara said. "So what did you tell Greg?"

"I just wanted to see how things were coming along," Warrick shrugged. "Oh, and by the way- everyone says hi."

Sara just smiled. "Well, that was nice."

Warrick nodded, returning the smile. He wasn't going to tell her what Greg had told him over the phone regarding the evidence with the case; he knew that she didn't want to think about that right now and neither did he. He was supposed to be lightening the mood, and discussing anything that had to do with what had happened to Sara wouldn't be all that cheerful, he knew that right away. And besides…they were having too much fun for him to ruin the mood.

"Listen, Warrick…" Sara trailed off. "I really, really want to thank you for everything you've done. You didn't have to do any of this, but…I'm really glad you did."

Warrick smiled. "No problem, Sara. That's what friends are for."

"Well, still," Sara smiled. "Really…thank you. I wouldn't want anyone else here right now but you."

"Well, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Warrick told her, reaching over and gently squeezing her hand.

For a moment they both just sat there- actually, for quite a few minutes they just sat there, eyes-locked, looking straight at one another. Neither of them was sure if they even blinked once, but they certainly jumped when the door to the hospital room was opened.

"Hey!" Greg said, appearing through the doorframe with a smile, fashioning a black Jim Morrison t-shirt, wrinkled blue jeans and his signature converse sneakers. "How's it going, Sara?" he asked her.

"Pretty good," Sara smiled. "What are you doing here, Greg?"

"Ah well, Warrick asked me to bring him something," Greg said, holding the small box he had gotten from Warrick's locker in front of him. Looking over at Warrick, Greg laughed. "I gotta tell you, Warrick- it was pretty hard to find this trying to search through the bottles of Old Spice and Axe body spray."

Warrick laughed, taking the box from him. "Well, thanks anyways, Greg."

"Sure thing," Greg said. Walking over to Sara, he asked, "Can I hug you…? Or…will it mess up the machines?"

"Come here and give me a hug," Sara smiled, holding her arms out to Greg. He returned the smile and leaned down, gently hugging her.

"Feel better, okay?" Greg said. "Call one of us if Warrick starts driving you nuts."

"Hey!" Warrick said.

Sara just laughed. "I don't think that will be a problem, Greg. But thanks, anyways."

"No problem!" Greg said. "See you guys, later!" And with that, Greg disappeared behind the door, leaving Warrick and Sara once again alone. Warrick was glad Greg knew (or even forgot) not to tell Sara about the evidence regarding the case.

"So what did you have Greg bring?" Sara asked Warrick, looking down at the box with curiosity.

"Well…you said you wanted some entertainment," Warrick grinned. Unlocking the gold hinges on the light-wooden box, Warrick opened it revealing the small plastic black and white chess pieces inside.

Sara's face seemed to brighten up as she caught a glimpse of the pieces. "So that's why you called Greg!" she said, putting the pieces together. "You still had that in your locker after all these years?"

Warrick shrugged. "I thought it'd come in handy on a rainy day."

Sara just grinned. "So what color do you want to be?"

"Well, last time if I remember correctly…you were black. And, ladies first, of course! So, since black goes first, I suppose you're black, then!"

"Thanks," Sara smiled. After setting the chess board up on the table connecting to the bed- which was a perfect surface since Sara would barely have to move a muscle to reach it, and Warrick could just pull up a chair to- Warrick and Sara got to work setting their pieces in the right places on each individual square.

"64 squares, but so little space for you to run," Warrick said with a grin, actually immediately regretting his words the second they came out of his mouth. _Damn…I hope that doesn't bring up bad memories for her._

Sara just laughed. "Someone's confident! You think you can win, Mr. Brown? Well I beat you last time, I can beat you again."

Warrick mentally sighed in relief. "We'll see about that, Ms. Sidle," Warrick countered, using her own last name. "Mind you, I have taken mental note that rooks move forward, backwards and sideways and that bishops move diagonally."

"Well, let's see if that knowledge stays with you!" Sara said as she finished setting her chess pieces up, setting her queen right next to the king on the brown square.

"Alright, your move," Warrick said, sitting back in his chair. Watching Sara, Warrick noticed how focused she looked. Her eyes moved from each individual chess piece- may if be pawn or knight- as she plotted her first move. Warrick started whistling to tease her, looking down at his watch on his wrist.

"Hey!" Sara laughed. "I'm concentrating, knock it off," she told him. Wrapping her fingers around her knight, she moved it in front of one of her pawns.

"Alright- my turn," Warrick said. Looking at each of his chess pieces, he picked one of the pawns up in the first row and moved it up two spaces so that it was only one space between Sara's knight. "Come here little horsy, you know you want to move so that I can diagonally jump you!" Warrick laughed.

Sara just laughed. "In your dreams," she told him.

Warrick had forgotten how good Sara was at chess, and that became quite clear to him about thirty minutes into the game, when she had all but two of his chess pieces and still had a fair number of her own. She had him trapped, Warrick knew it- he only had his king (which coincidentally was the most horrible piece in the entire game) and a pawn. He couldn't do much, and he could tell Sara's queen had her eyes on taking down his king.

"Damn," Warrick muttered.

Sara just smiled, resting her head against her elbow.

Warrick moved his pawn toward Sara's queen, immediately regretting the move as her queen took his pawn out in mere moments. "Damn it, I forgot the queen could do that," he mumbled.

Sara laughed. "Check, by the way."

Warrick sighed, looking down at his last-remaining piece. _Damn you stupid little king. Why do I lose if I lose your piece?_ He thought to himself. _Maybe because you're a little wuss- yeah, that's why. That's why you have to have fifteen other pieces including your wife here to save your ass._

"You look like you're deep in thought," Sara said.

Warrick grinned, looking up at Sara. "Well, I was just wondering why you lose if you lose the king. I mean really- why? He's the lousiest piece in the game, but it's understandable, I guess… that's why he's got fifteen other pieces including his wife here to save his ass."

Sara just laughed. "Do I sense you stalling for time, Mr. Brown?"

"Me? Stall? That's ludicrous; of course I'm not stalling for time," Warrick grinned. Without thinking, he moved his king.

Sara smiled and moved her queen next to space right next to the king. Warrick quickly noticed this- was Sara just tired, or was she not thinking? Wait…maybe she was doing this on purpose, to _let_ him take the king.

"Oh no, you're not giving me a free shot," Warrick said.

"What?" Sara asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb," Warrick grinned. "Your queen just committed suicide."

Sara just shot Warrick a look, trying not to smile.

"Re-do the move, I'm winning fair-and-square," Warrick told her, handing her the queen back.

"Oh, so you don't like my generosity?" Sara asked, slowly reaching for the queen.

"I said I was going to beat you," Warrick smiled, his hand still extended to her with the piece in his hand. "I'm going to beat you my way, and my way's fair."

"Suit yourself…" Sara told him, reaching for the chess piece. Warrick now held Sara's hand in his as she curled her fingers around the piece- her skin was so smooth, why hadn't he noticed it before? Their eyes were still locked…why were their eyes still locked? He was giving her the chess piece back; there was nothing sensual about it! …Yet at the very same time there was.

"I…uh…" Sara couldn't find her voice. Her voice got caught in her throat. She had a perfect hold on the chess piece yet she did not move her hand from Warrick's. His hand was warm, and for some reason- a reason Sara did not understand- she did not want to move her hand.

"…You…uh…should go your turn," Warrick coughed.

"Oh! Right," Sara said. In her haste to move her hand, she accidentally knocked the entire chess board down. Warrick was quick, though, and he caught the board before it hit the ground. Unfortunately the chess pieces were not so lucky.

"I'm sorry!" Sara said, her cheeks turning a light shade of red. "God, I'm such a klutz…do you need some help?"

"No, it's okay," Warrick told her with a smile. "Rest assured, I can get it, and you're not a klutz, it was just an accident, no big deal."

Sara just nodded as Warrick kneeled down to retrieve the pieces. After getting the pieces around the bottom of the bed, he noted the queen still in Sara's hand. Smiling, he reached over for it, unintentionally leaning his chess against her stomach. "Sorry…" Warrick mumbled, trying to take the piece from her hand.

Sara laughed. "You want this piece?" she asked him, holding the queen up.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Warrick smiled. "I would really appreciate it."

"Okay, here you go," Sara said, handing it to him. As soon as Warrick was about to close his hand, Sara pulled it away from him again, holding it above her head.

"Hey!" Warrick laughed. "That was mean!" he added. After they playfully wrestled for the chess piece for a few moments, Warrick tripped over Sara's IV stand and landed on her bed- on top of her.

Both Sara and Warrick's minds couldn't register what was happening before it had already happened. As Warrick tripped he landed right on top of Sara, luckily not crushing her as he straddled her waist. Before he was able to prop himself up on his elbows, it was too late. His lips were pressed against hers and they were looking into each other's eyes.

Warrick knew this probably shouldn't have happened, even though it was an accident…

…but neither of them turned away.

Warrick didn't want to do anything to scare Sara, so instead he let her decide whether or not to break the kiss or to deepen it. He was surprised when he felt Sara tracing the outline of his bottom lip with her tongue, seeking entrance which he immediately granted. In seconds the kiss went from just an accident to something much more.

Finally they pulled away when they remembered they needed to breathe. They just looked at each other, never breaking eye-contact as they panted, trying to catch their breaths.

"…I love you," Sara whispered.

"I love you, too," Warrick replied.


	7. Chapter Six: Checkmate

**A/N: Thanks so much, guys. I know these author's notes are probably getting boring to read, huh? They all say the same thing! But thank you guys so much for your encouragement and reviews; just the fact that you're reading it makes me ecstatic! I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter. **

**Chapter Six: Checkmate**

It was funny, Warrick thought, how a simple event in one's life could become some bring some phenomenal life-altering change to the way they looked at themselves or others. For Warrick Brown, this moment was the second that he felt Sara Sidle's lips against his own. Those few moments, just looking into her eyes was something Warrick Brown was not likely to soon forget. For at that moment, Warrick knew instantly he was the luckiest man in the world.

Warrick Brown was in love with Sara Sidle.

She was the damsel in distress, and he was her knight in shining armor. At the moment, she was the sleeping beauty lying on the thin white mattress in her hospital room covered with the blankets with Warrick at her side. Her arms were atop the blankets, resting at her sides, and her left hand was balled into a fist, holding onto the loose ends of the sheets as tight as her hands could.

Looking around the room, Warrick noticed the door was open. He hadn't heard a thing from Grissom or Brass since he had called them…maybe he should give them a ring, he thought. Hesitantly, and a bit reluctantly, Warrick got up from his place in the chair by Sara's hospital bed- a task that proved to be as difficult as a baby bird leaving the nest for the first time- to go and use one of the payphones in the hallway. Walking over to the doorway of the white room, Warrick shot one last glance at Sara, as if to reassure himself that she was still going to be there when he returned, and then walked off.

Warrick reached into his pocket for some more change as he ventured toward the payphones once again. He felt around and stopped when some coins fell from his pocket, landing on the ground with a loud clang. Picking them up, Warrick frowned as he discovered he didn't have enough for just one call. He had a few cents…a crumbled-up receipt and old cracked mint that had been in his pocket for god-knows how long. Looking in his wallet, he noted that he had a few dollars and decided to head to the receptionist's desk to ask if there was an ATM in the cafeteria.

Putting everything back in his pocket, Warrick headed down the hallway once again. After getting in an elevator and listening to the hum of the mechanical device for a few moments, Warrick got out on the first floor right next to the gift shop. Spotting the receptionist's desk in the very front of the room, Warrick headed in that direction, trying not to step on any of the tiny children that were running and crawling around the building on the blue carpets while a thus oblivious mother was catching up on what Oprah was doing in her magazine.

Finally reaching the counter, Warrick got the attention of the receptionist and she looked up from her computer monitor and her small work area that was decorated by various Disney memorabilia. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she greeted Warrick with a warm smile and asked, "How can I help you, Sir?"

"I was hoping if you could tell me whether or not there was an ATM in the cafeteria on the third floor? I needed to get some change," Warrick told her. He really didn't want to have to leave the hospital just to get some change.

"As a matter of fact, Sir, if you make a stop in the gift shop just over there," she motioned with her finger the gift shop behind him near the elevator he had come out from, "the cashier would be happy to give you some change."

"Thanks," Warrick told the woman, heading toward the gift shop. The second Warrick walked through the doorway of the gift shop he was hit with an overwhelming scent- a mix of floral and chocolate candies. It smelt better than the hospital rooms, Warrick thought, that much was for sure. Warrick looked around for a moment to see if he could find anything for Sara, but there wasn't anything that caught his attention and just screamed her name. He was pretty sure that she wasn't a big fan of Barbie pink.

Warrick then spotted the candy at the counter- candy bars, gummy bears, peanuts… So much for just coming in to get change, but…Warrick _was_ hungry, so he picked up a Milky Way and set it down on the counter, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. After getting some dollars in change and paying for his meal, he walked out and headed back to the elevator, holding the wrapped candy bar between his teeth as he put his wallet back in his back pocket and hit the button for the elevator to come down.

Warrick got in the elevator as the doors opened and pressed the button for the right floor, watching the doors close and feeling that sinking sensation in his stomach as the elevator started to move. The doors opened after a second or two and he got out, walking down the hallway that reminded him of The Shining. Warrick ripped open his candy bar and stuck it in his mouth as he took out some coins for the payphones. As he was about to put the first coin through the slot, he turned around and saw the doctor from before that he knew was treating Sara.

He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but…at the same time, he did. But he couldn't hear much of what the doctor was saying…or he just couldn't decipher it. Her mouth was moving…damn, if only he could read lips. She was talking with one of the nurses and he noted the occasional wince, cringe, or grimace that came from the tiny nurse she was talking to, which was actually a very frequent expression among the young woman's face.

After a few moments, the doctor walked off, leaving behind a small manila folder on the counter. The nurse walked off and the folder was left behind. Warrick knew that had to be Sara's file…and the doctor hadn't really given him many details as to what sort of shape she was in at the moment. What…if there was something this woman wasn't telling him? What if something was seriously wrong with Sara? _His_ Sara? And he didn't know?

Looking around, Warrick felt as though he was trying to sneak into the girl's locker room at a high school as he tried to be stealthy and secretive. Nonchalantly, he strolled over to the counter where the file was and his efforts were rewarded when he saw that the name 'SIDLE, SARA' labeled the folder. He took a deep breath and swallowed, completely forgetting about his candy bar that was now in his hands as he slowly opened the folder.

The first page was basic information- Sara's full name, date of birth, driver's license photo, home address, phone number... That wasn't going to tell Warrick much other than that her apartment complex was right next to a Holiday Inn and a Denny's.

Warrick flipped to the next page and his breath instantly caught in his throat. This was it.

His eyes scanned the page and he bit his lip, almost hard enough to draw blood as his face contorted into a frown.

_Patient Name: Sara Sidle_

_Room Number: 309_

_DOB: …_

That was just more of the basic stuff Warrick knew he was going to see. The next few lines made him feel sick to his stomach, making his uneaten candy bar seem like the most un-appetizing thing in the entire world.

_Minor cuts and scrapes… bruising… head contusion… bite mark and bruising sustained to left breast…_

"Son of a bitch…" Warrick hissed. Looking up, Warrick immediately remembered where he was and what it was exactly that he was doing (that he wasn't supposed to be doing), and he walked off, leaving the rest to his imagination…

_My god…he really did do a number on her. Sara…god, Sara, how could you have been ashamed or embarrassed not to tell us? _Warrick thought, slowly heading back to her room. _This bastard…he's going to get his,_ Warrick thought. But how was that going to happen if he was in the hospital just sitting around, looking like he was waiting for doom? He wasn't doing anything to help find this guy…and he knew that he should be. Not for him. For Sara.

Walking into Sara's hospital room, he looked down at her and sighed. She looked so peaceful…he hated to leave her, but he needed to catch this guy. And she was asleep; he knew…he wouldn't be that long.

Looking down, Warrick noticed a small lump in his jacket breast pocket. Raising a brow, he reached inside and wrapped his fingers around something…something plastic.

The chess piece- Sara's chess piece.

Warrick smiled, looking at the piece for a long moment. If…he kept that chess piece with him, it would be like having her there with him; it would be a small reassurance that she was always with him...that she would always be on his side.

Heading over to the hospital bed, Warrick kneeled down and lifted the chess set from before up off the floor. Reaching inside the box, he pulled out his white king piece from before. Looking down at the sleeping Sara, he pressed the chess piece against his lips and slowly opened Sara's right hand lying next to him on the bed, placing it in her palm and re-wrapping her fingers around it.

"I'll always be with you, Sara…" Warrick whispered. "And you'll always be with me… and I promise…that I'm going to catch this guy," he said, though he knew she could not hear anything he was saying. Getting to his feet and putting the chess piece in his jeans pocket, Warrick leaned over and kissed Sara's forehead before walking out of the room.

Warrick walked straight past the restrooms and the payphones in the hallway, leaving behind an uneaten candy bar on the counter along with a good $0.89 in coins. Nothing else mattered to Warrick more than catching the guy who had put Sara through so much pain and suffering. He loved Sara, and this man had hurt her.

It seemed as though Warrick had teleported. Now he was in his Tahoe, doing at least 80 through a residential area. He sped off toward Winston Street, the address Sara had given him. Maybe he would be able to find some more evidence to help nail the bastard's ass- he was certainly awake enough for the job.

Warrick rounded corner after corner, looking at each street sign to try and lead him in the right direction. Flashing lights blinding Warrick were no obstacle for him as his eyes blocked out everything else in the world except for the street signs he was looking for. Finally he made it to Maple Street, a street he knew connected to Winston. Stopping at a stop sign, Warrick looked around for traffic as he thumbed his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. He could see the yellow crime-scene tape, he knew he was close.

Warrick pressed his foot down on the gas pedal and turned left, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw the green street sign half-covered in graffiti that read 'Winston Street' in faded white writing. Just as Warrick was about to get out of his car to retrieve his crime-scene kit from the trunk, he spotted a figure in the distance who were obviously oblivious to his SUV parked around the corner. Warrick reached into his glove compartment in the passenger's seat and grabbed a spare Mag-Lite, clicking it on. He quietly got out of his car so he could see who this person was from afar, to make sure if wasn't someone like Catherine or Grissom.

Warrick poked his head around the corner just a bit to try and get a view of this person's face. Their clothes made them very visible in the moonlight- he was wearing a large over-sized white shirt, he obviously wasn't in law enforcement. He had a black bandana wrapped around his head and he pulled his baggy black jeans up around his waist as he walked over to the crime-scene, completely ignoring the crime-scene tape.

White shirt…black jeans…mustache… Warrick was beginning to put the puzzle pieces together. Was…this the guy? He certainly fit Sara's description. As soon as the guy ripped the crime-scene taped out of his way and begin to trespass into the scene, Warrick made himself visible. "Hey!"

The man immediately spun around and looked at Warrick who shone the Mag-Lite's small beam of light into his face. Not waiting for Warrick to say anything else, he ran off.

"HEY!" Warrick yelled, dropping his Mag-Lite onto the ground as he bolted after him. "STOP- LVPD!"

This didn't seem to faze the guy; actually it only seemed to make him run even faster in his haste to escape Warrick's sight. He was running down the street as fast as he could, but Warrick was faster. He had so much driving him at this point- Sara, rage, his promise to protect her and catch this guy.

Suddenly the man turned and ran into an alley, jumping into the air and wrapping his fingers around the gated fence leading to the other street. He tried to climb it, but Warrick moved faster and grabbed his shirt collar from behind, yanking down to the ground. "So you're the son of a bitch, huh?" Warrick asked.

The man just looked at Warrick and threw a punch, landing a blow right below Warrick's eye. Warrick immediately returned the blow, slugging him right across the face and watching as blood began to drip from his nose. The sound of sirens in the distance distracted Warrick, giving the suspect plenty of time to return another blow to Warrick.

His leg connected with Warrick's side who angrily growled in response, punching him once again in the face. Knocking him to the ground, Warrick sat on top of his legs. "Feels different when you're the bitch, doesn't it?" Warrick coldly spat.

"Oh, she was good at it," the man replied, his lips curling into a grin over his now blood-stained teeth from a blow to his jaw.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Warrick yelled, raising his arm up to throw another punch.

"WARRICK, STOP!" came Brass' voice. Immediately Warrick was being restrained by officers as he continued to try and claw at the guy.

"Brass, that's the bastard that hurt Sara!" Warrick yelled, still struggling to get out of the officers' grasp.

Brass looked down and noticed the suspect reaching into his pocket for a weapon. Brass yanked the guy to his feet and pulled his arms behind his back, cuffing them into place. Brass led the guy away and Warrick reached into his jeans pocket, holding the chess piece up to the light. "Checkmate…" he whispered, looking down at the piece. "We got 'im, Sara…"


	8. Chapter Seven: Unbound

**A/N: This is actually going to be the last chapter of this story! I want to thank everyone again for reading and reviewing; seriously, I love all you guys! I hope you guys enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it! The lyrics at the end of this chapter are from Robbie Robertson's 'Unbound'. I do not own the lyrics or song, and of course I do not own CSI! ;)**

**Chapter Seven: Unbound**

He stood in the observation room with narrowed eyes- nothing but pure hatred for the man sitting at the cold steel table in the interrogation room. It took every little ounce of his strength to resist throwing the door open and just pouncing on the bastard right that minute. In truth, Warrick would, if it weren't for Grissom standing in the room next to him to make sure Warrick stayed away from the suspect. Warrick tapped his heel impatiently as he waited for Brass to begin the interrogation; he just wanted this guy behind bars. Now.

Grissom stood next to Warrick and observed his body language- he was anxious, he could tell, but then again, who wasn't at the moment? The entire team just wanted this guy behind bars to ensure that he never hurt Sara- let alone anyone- ever again. It was the first time Grissom would have to admit he was feeling empathy for the victim. Because…the victim wasn't just a victim- it was Sara.

Grissom noticed how protective Warrick was of Sara. It was no surprise to him or anyone else for that matter that this whole ordeal had brought the two of them closer. Sara was dependent on Warrick, and Warrick was going to make sure that she was safe- no matter what. Warrick would take a bullet for Sara to ensure her safety.

Grissom opened up the file he held in his hand to read over the facts once again. Flipping through page after page, he finally stopped when he got to the license photo and registration of the suspect sitting in the room in front of them.

After the suspect was arrested he was also identified as one Roy Hopper. He had a residence in the greater north area of Las Vegas; pretty expensive digs for a guy dressed like him picked up off the street. He drove a silver Lexus and owned a Buick and Mercedes; Mercedes of which was currently in the shop getting serviced.

Now Warrick and Grissom were just trying to find out what connection to Sara this fancy street punk had.

The door to the observation room and opened and Jim Brass walked through the doors with a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. Warrick and Grissom turned around to greet him, and instead of taking a sip of the coffee, Brass handed the cup to Warrick. "Thought you'd need that," he explained to him. With a sigh, he looked at Grissom. "Ready, Gil?"

Grissom merely nodded, holding the folder in his hands up for confirmation. He turned to Warrick. "We have the evidence, and we'll get him," he explained. "There's not a jury in Clark County that we can't make this case to."

Warrick just nodded slowly. "Hurry up and nail his ass, will you? Nail it to the wall."

Brass shot him a small smile, but there was nothing humorous about it. "Don't worry- right now this guy's ass is on my top priority of asses to nail."

Warrick didn't smile as he turned to look back at the one-way mirror of the observation room. The suspect was too calm for his liking; he was sitting with one leg crossed over the other and had the most calm and content expression on his face Warrick had ever seen. He barely even moved as the door opened and Brass and Grissom walked inside. When Brass sat down across from him, he finally looked up from his shiny silver ring on his hand to acknowledge them both.

"Dr. Grissom, Detective," Roy said, nodding to them both. "It's a pleasure."

Grissom and Brass both looked at each other; even Warrick's face contorted into a look of confusion. Gone was the street accent from before, this guy's voice (obviously his natural voice) was smooth and sophisticated.

"Roy Hopper," Brass said. "You want to tell me why a guy like you has a place up in north Vegas?" he asked. "I mean…apart from the fancy Buick, Mercedes and Lexus, of course."

Roy shrugged. "I'm a successful man, Detective Brass," Roy simply said.

"And what is it that you do that you're so successful in?" Grissom asked.

Roy smiled. "Just a little business here and there; I must say life on the streets is much more entertaining than suburban living. I prefer my job over that of running a high-ranked corporation. Mine gives me more of a…rush, a sense of self-satisfaction."

Warrick felt his hands balling into fists. He didn't even feel the steaming warm coffee overflowing in the cup running onto his hand from him squeezing it; he was too preoccupied with his own thoughts and emotions. _You sick son of a… A rush? Self-satisfaction? You call raping a defenseless woman a rush and a sense of self-satisfaction?_ He thought to himself. He wanted to run into the room, slam the guy against the wall and make him beg for mercy…but somehow he was able to refrain from actually doing so. _You call that your job? It's a choice, you asshole!_

"You call raping a woman your job?" Brass asked. "Explain that one to me, 'cause I'm not quite getting it."

Roy just laughed. "That? That was just a little treat for me. I had been finishing up some business one night and I was heading back to my house. I was waiting for my ride to come around when I saw a woman standing in front of a building. Alone."

Warrick gritted his teeth so he wouldn't scream. He tried not to make the mental picture of how the whole thing happened in his mind, but try as he might he could not make this sick movie stop.

"So you…just decided to have a little fun, is that it?" Brass asked, a firm sting to his tone.

Roy just nodded. "Yeah; she was hot, how could I not have?"

Warrick bit his lip, almost hard enough to draw blood. He was going to give this guy three chances, and if he blew them… _One._

"You knew what you were doing was wrong and you chose to do it anyway," Grissom said. "You sexually-assaulted a woman."

"Actually, you sexually-assaulted an officer of the law," Brass said.

"We took your DNA and compared it to the semen found at the scene and from the rape kit," Grissom said, pushing a piece of paper forward onto the table. "It matched."

Brass looked over at Roy once again. "Now Roy…we know you're not just some random guy from off the street. You're a successful thirty-six-year-old man," he told him. "Obviously, you're not that stupid."

Roy smiled. "I'm a smart guy, Detective."

_No you're not, you son of a bitch, _Warrick thought. _Two._

"Obviously not that smart," Grissom said, adding in his two cents. "You didn't make sure to leave no trace of yourself behind. You were sloppy; you left us every inch of evidence to collect and use against you."

"So why would you do something so stupid if you're such a smart guy?" Brass asked.

Roy smiled, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms in front of him. "You see, gentlemen," he started. "While my little plan seems…stupid, to you, it's ingenious to me." He laughed; the sound was so vile and repulsive it made Grissom, Brass, and Warrick want to cut their ears off. They couldn't even begin to imagine how Sara lived through this. "The bitch will never forget my face," Roy smiled.

_Three._

That was it. Warrick lost it.

Before Brass or Grissom even had time to comprehend what was happening, it was too late. Warrick had thrown the door open connecting the interrogation room to the observation room and he was charging at the suspect like a raging bull. The suspect was even caught off-guard as Warrick charged straight at him and picked him up by his shirt sleeves, slamming him against the wall.

"You think this is amusing, you son of a bitch?" Warrick hissed. "Huh? You think that's amusing?" he yelled. "She was defenseless! She told you to stop, you bastard! But I suppose that's not what you wanted to hear, was it?" Warrick whispered harshly. "Because you're not man enough to get some real action; instead you have to go out and rape helpless women!"

Roy just started laughing. "How was I supposed to know it would be so easy? She was with the law; I expected more of a fight. I was disappointed," he frowned, but his smirk slowly returned. "Although she was feisty."

Warrick growled as he was about to throw a punch at the man. Grissom quickly retrained him (even though he really didn't want to, he knew Warrick's outburst may hurt the case). "Warrick, calm down!" he yelled to him.

"Would you like to know why I bound her wrists?" Roy asked, the question coming out of nowhere. The room fell silent and Warrick stopped struggling against Grissom as his eyes widened. "I take that as a yes," Roy said. "Well…I—"

Before Roy had a chance to answer, Warrick already knew. He had never really pondered it in his mind before now, but…now that he did…he figured it out. And it just made him even more sickened.

"You…wanted her to know that…she was helpless," Warrick whispered. "That…she was…trapped…" Helpless, trapped—bound. Warrick couldn't even begin to imagine how that must've felt. She must've felt so worthless…

"Bingo," Roy said with a smile. "You see, I…didn't exactly want her to forget about me too quickly," Roy said. "Do you think I've etched the memory in her mind deep enough?"

Grissom tightened his hold on Warrick's arms, afraid that he was going to try and go at the suspect again. He was quite surprised, however, when Warrick turned around and headed toward the door. Before his fingers curled around the handle, Warrick stopped, his back still turned to the suspect. "She's not bound," he said calmly. "And she never was," he added. "I can't say the same for you, though," he finished, throwing the door open and walking out of the room.

Brass and Grissom found their voices and strength again as they arrested Roy and read him his rights.

Warrick headed down the hallway, his eyes glued in front of him. They had the guy…and Warrick had kept his promise to Sara.

But…Warrick knew that the nightmare wasn't completely over for Sara. He hated to admit it…but Roy was right- he had etched the memory of the entire ordeal pretty deep into Sara's mind. She would still have nightmares…and she would still be afraid, Warrick knew. But she was never going to have to go through her hardships alone again. He was always going to be there for her.

Warrick reached into his pocket and took out Sara's black chess piece. He smiled down at it as he tightened his hold around it.

He had done it.

Sara was free.

She was no longer going to be brought down by the shackles of this…monster.

She was free to smile again, free to laugh again. She no longer had to live her life in fear. And she would never, ever, be alone again.

She was no longer bound.

She was _un_bound.

_No borders._

_No fences._

_No walls._

_No borders._

_No fences…_

…_unbound._

Just as Warrick was about to walk outside, the doors to the station opened up and Warrick saw the last person he would have expected to see at that moment.

It was Sara.

"S-Sara…?" Warrick asked, eyes widening.

Sara ran over to him- no longer plaid in the thin white hospital gown from before- and threw her arms around his neck as tight as she could.

"Hey…it's okay…" Warrick told her, wrapping his arms around her back when he noticed her crying. "We got him, Sara…it's all over now…"

Sara just started laughing, sniffling. "I know…Brass called the hospital and had an officer bring me down," she told him. "Thanks, Warrick," she smiled, looking up at him.

"No problem, Sara," Warrick smiled. The space between them quickly closed and they kissed.

"Eeeeew!"

The sound of Greg Sander's voice echoed through the hallways, interrupting the tender moment the two were having.

"Greg!" then came Catherine's voice. "You ruined it!" Soon Nick had popped out from his hiding place behind a wall and Brass and Grissom were walking down the hallway.

"What's…going on?" Warrick asked, blinking as he and Sara exchanged glances.

"Uh…surprise!" Nick said, holding up two bottles of champagne.

"Yeah, and uh…sorry!" Greg grinned. Catherine slapped him in the back of the head.

Warrick and Sara both just started laughing as they walked over to the group.

"So are we having these drinks or not?" Catherine asked. "Because I think I speak for everyone when I say I sure as hell could use one."

Everyone nodded and headed into the break room.

"Can you have alcohol at PD?" Nick asked with a laugh.

"Yes, but that's our little secret!" an officer inside said.

"I want first dibs!" Greg said, running inside and trying to pry a bottle from Nick's hands.

Nick just laughed. "Hold on Greg, I think Warrick and Sara should get the first glasses."

"I agree!" Catherine said.

Warrick and Sara just laughed as Greg whined.

_No borders._

_No fences._

_No walls._

_Unbound._

_No borders._

_No fences…_

…_unbound._

The End


End file.
